Released on May 15, 2020 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The $3 trillion coronavirus aid package to be voted on by the House today has been called a “Democratic wish list” and a “1,800-page press release” by Republican critics, with Mitch McConnell saying Congress should hit “pause” until after Memorial Day for further relief for American workers and families. But we
The year is 1974. Thirty-three states of the 38 required have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. Traditional gender roles are still running rampant. In episode 5 of Mrs. America, we explore what it means to be in a marriage and how eerily similar it feels to be a woman in a traditional one or a “non-traditional” one through
Washington, DC – An historic coalition of women’s rights, civil rights, human rights, and reproductive justice groups including the National Organization for Women Foundation, the Feminist Majority Foundation and Legal Momentum, joined by 18 other organizations, including In Our Own Voice: The National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights,
Statement by the National Organization for Women and the National Domestic Workers Alliance 04.17.2020 WASHINGTON, D.C.— In 2019, 91.5 percent of all domestic workers in the United States were women, and 57.1 percent were people of color. Now the Coronavirus is decimating the livelihoods of many domestic employees as their employers close off their homes, and those who are still employed are risking their safety to keep working. A high
Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt and Wisconsin NOW President Lindsay Lemmer 04.07.2020 WASHINGTON, D.C.— Voter suppression is one of the most insidious forms of racism this country faces. When even one vote is suppressed it makes a mockery of our Constitution and our ideals. Yet the conservative majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is playing partisan political games during a pandemic and
Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt 03.26.2020 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Anti-abortion extremists are using the COVID-19 pandemic to accomplish what they can’t get done in the courts—a total ban on abortion care. More than 50 anti-abortion groups have written to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar calling on public health officials to tell abortion providers to cease and desist
Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt WASHINGTON, D.C.— When Justice Anthony Kennedy retired from the U. S. Supreme Court, Donald Trump made a deal with religious conservatives. He promised to nominate a fifth vote against abortion rights in return for their continued blind devotion and campaign contributions. This week, anti-abortion extremists stand to collect. The
Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt: WASHINGTON, D.C. – NOW is a strong supporter of the Women’s Health Protection Act, and we applaud Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.) and Health Subcommittee Chairwoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) for their leadership. Today, Rep. Eshoo will chair a hearing entitled “Protecting Women’s Access to
Statement from NOW President Toni Van Pelt: WASHINGTON, D.C. — NOW members have been working tirelessly for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) for decades—generations even. Some NOW members who marched for the ERA in the 1970s are being joined by their daughters and granddaughters at rallies and grassroots actions today. On Thursday, February 13, the House of
Statement from NOW President Toni Van Pelt: WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed legislation to establish the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum in the nation’s capital. This victory has been a priority for female lawmakers in Congress like Rep. Carolyn Maloney, the author of the legislation. In 2014, Rep. Maloney’s bill passed overwhelmingly, with just 33 Republicans
